God, Evil, and Suffering (original) (raw)
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2nd Edition of Intro to the Study of Religion, front matter and part of chapter 6
Introduction to the Study of Religion, Second Edition, 2024
Why do people study religion? How have they studied it in the past? How do we study religion today? Is the academic study of religion the same as religious education? These and many other questions are addressed in this engaging introduction to the discipline of religious studies, written by two experienced university teachers. The authors have crafted this book to familiarize novice students with key concepts and terminology in the study of religion. More advanced students will find a varied array of theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches to the field. Topics include: • Definitions of religion • Perspectives in the study and teaching of religion • How religion began to be studied: traditional perspectives – philosophical and theological • How people experience religion: perspectives in the study of religious consciousness and perception – phenomenological and psychological • Studying religion within communities: social and cultural perspectives – anthropological, sociological, political and economic • Judging religion: critical perspectives – feminist approaches, the interaction of popular literature and religion • Contextual perspectives – historical and comparative • Themes, theories, and current directions The thoroughly updated second edition encourages students to think critically about the theories and methods presented. Students will find arguments for the strengths and limitations of these approaches, understand connections among religious studies and other intellectual movements, and develop their own ideas of how they might want to go about the study of religion. Summary boxes, discussion questions, a glossary, a chronology of key figures and texts, and other pedagogic aids help students grasp key concepts.
Introduction to Religious Studies
2012
The following syllabus was used for an Introduction to Religious Studies taught at Lawrence University in Fall 2012. The class met twice a week, for a session of 110 mins. with a break in the middle. The rationale of the course was to provide students with methods and models of thought, analysis and critique of religious phenomena, rather than with hard data on specific religions. In short, the difference between an Introduction to World Religions and Introduction to Religious Studies should be understood, in order to properly assess the structure of the course. It is therefore that sources from various traditions are presented in comparison without historical context, and for the same reason non-religious works of fiction were also introduced. The first half of the course was entitled “components of religion” and the second half “critique of religion.” The first half focused on abstract ideas, with each class starting with a list of words related to that theme, each student contributing a word and explaining how it relates to the topic. The second half was accompanied with Pals’ excellent Eight Theories, and with selections from the actual scholars Pals introduces. Markham and Lohr’s reader was used for some primary texts and some basic facts on religions, providing a peephole to how a World Religions class may have looked. It is slightly more theological than critical with an undertone of a Christian bias. These defects in the reader were discussed in class, but it was nevertheless chosen for its affordability and accessibility. In addition to many classic readings, the course included two selections from the faculty at Lawrence University, as a way of introducing students to research conducted in their home institution, and to familiarize majors in the department with the work of their teachers. Such selections will change from institution to institution. The final assignment of the course is appended to this syllabus and requires the students to combine the two sections of the course, choosing one component, and analyzing it in a single tradition using at least one critique. Click link above to view file.
Tools and Theories is about transforming theory into concrete analytical tools that can help us study stuff and solve research problems. Concretely, students are introduced to a range of tools for analysing religious narratives and discourses, religious thinking and belief, as well as religious traditions and fields. These tools are drawn from a wide range of humanistic and social-scientific disciplines, including literary studies, cognitive science, sociology, and history. We discuss the theoretical foundation of the analytical tools we work with and, more importantly, we practice how to actually use these tools to analyse concrete empirical material. In this way, we constantly evaluate the usefulness of our tools and reflect on the research problems that each of them can help us solve. In two 'Tools assignments' students work out research designs that involve using tools from the course to analyse primary material in order to solve research problems in the study of religion. During the last part of the course, students carry out the research sketched in one of the tools assignments and rapport their findings in a final paper.